F1MATHS: The key numbers we learned from the Belgian Grand Prix

By on 22 Jul 2026, 04:00

Although Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli dominated the free practice sessions and qualifying, the Italian had to work hard for his sixth Grand Prix victory as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc missed out on the win by just under two seconds at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers his latest analysis.

Sixth - The championship-leading team Mercedes have now secured pole position in all ten qualifying sessions held so far in the 2026 Formula 1 season.

George Russell started from pole in Melbourne, Montreal, Barcelona and Spielberg, while teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed his sixth pole position of the year after also being fastest in Shanghai, Suzuka, Miami, Monaco and Silverstone.

Sixth - Antonelli's victory at Spa-Francorchamps was the sixth Formula 1 win of his career. The Italian has now converted five of his six pole positions this season into race victories.

The only exception came at Silverstone, where he damaged the front-left wheel shield after running over the kerbs, ultimately preventing him from scoring.

35 per cent - After experiencing Mercedes power unit issues in qualifying, George Russell also struggled with the electrical deployment of his power unit at the race start.

Russell explained afterwards that the electrical system failed to recharge properly after La Source, leaving his battery around 35 per cent below its expected energy level and without usable deployment by the top of Eau Rouge. The resulting loss of power left him vulnerable to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton along the Kemmel Straight.

Seventeen - Seventeen drivers finished on the lead lap at Spa. Haas driver Esteban Ocon was the last classified finisher on the lead lap in 17th place. Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas finished one lap down, while Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was lapped twice.

Three - Three drivers failed to reach the chequered flag. George Russell retired on the opening lap following his collision with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton.

Cadillac's Sergio Perez retired on lap 13 with a suspension issue, while Aston Martin's Lance Stroll pulled into the pits on lap 20 with a gearbox problem.

Eighth - Mercedes have now won eight of the first ten Grands Prix of the season. The only races not won by the Brackley-based team were Barcelona, where Lewis Hamilton took victory for Ferrari, and Silverstone, where Charles Leclerc claimed Ferrari's second win of the campaign.

Five - Five drivers have received grid penalties this season for exceeding their allocated power unit components. Lando Norris received a 10-place grid penalty, Isack Hadjar was handed a 30-place grid penalty, Carlos Sainz Jr. received a 10-place grid penalty, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were hit with a 20-place and a 10-place grid penalty, respectively.

Second - McLaren's Lando Norris showed impressive pace throughout the Spa weekend. However, a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allocation dropped him from third on the grid to 13th.

Norris eventually finished seventh after an unfortunately timed Virtual Safety Car compromised his strategy. Despite that, he set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:48.890 on lap 44, marking his second fastest lap of the 2026 season.

15 places - Starting from 21st on the grid after receiving power unit penalties, Isack Hadjar produced one of the drives of the day by climbing 15 positions to finish sixth.

45 points - Although Andrea Kimi Antonelli's championship lead had been reduced to just 25 points following his difficult British Grand Prix, the Italian extended his advantage again at Spa.

He now leads Lewis Hamilton by 45 points in the Drivers' Championship, while teammate George Russell has slipped to third, 50 points behind the championship leader.

73 points
- Despite Russell's retirement, Mercedes remain comfortably on top of the Constructors' Championship with 358 points, holding a 73-point advantage over Ferrari, who have 285.

McLaren remain third on 195 points, with Red Bull fourth on 151. Franco Colapinto's point-scoring finish, combined with Arvid Lindblad's ninth place, leaves Alpine and Racing Bulls tied on 61 points in their battle for fifth in the championship.


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